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⚠ No recent data · last reading 52d ago · suspended by the Environment Agency since 18 Aug 2026
0.16

Preston-Le-Skerne

Skerne
Tees catchment • Aycliffe Village • County Durham • ID: F3705 • Level
(52d ago) • 4 readings/hr • 131 views

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Not an emergency service — if in danger call 999. Alerts rely on EA/SEPA/NRW data and are best-efforts. Terms

Last Level
0.158 m
⚠ 52d ago · may be out of date
24h Max
-
24h Min
-
Typical Range
0.14 - 1.40
m
Highest Recorded
1.94 m
EA official record
1.96 in our data (since Jan 1982)
🚽 Sewage overflows nearby

Station Details

  • Monitoring Station: Preston-Le-Skerne
  • Watercourse: River Skerne
  • Nearest Town: Aycliffe Village
  • County: County Durham
  • Coordinates: 54°36'31"N 1°32'58"W (54.608510, -1.549436)
  • Open in: Google Maps · Apple Maps (opens your maps app)
  • Date Opened: 8 Nov 1972
  • Status: Active
  • EA station status: Suspended (the Environment Agency has suspended this gauge)
    Since 18 Aug 2026, in the EA's words: “This station is temporarily unavailable due to an equipment fault. We are working to get the station back online.”
  • Station Type: River level station
Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: F3705
  • RLOI id: 8164 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: F3705-level-stage-i-15_min-m
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: m
  • Typical data delay: ~22 min (measured reading→publication lag)
  • Tidal: No
  • Lock / structure: No
  • Catchment Area: Tees
  • Typical Range: 0.139 – 1.400 m
  • Drainage Area: 147 km² upstream of this gauge
  • Flow Data: Daily mean flow (m³/s) to 18 Aug (53 days behind — the EA publishes each day's mean a day or two after it ends; unchecked, provisional) via EA Hydrology
  • EA Cross-check: 0.16 m (EA at 18 Aug 23:00)
  • Flow Archive: National River Flow Archive ↗

Geographic coordinates may reflect the access point for the gauge, and not the precise location in the watercourse that it is taking readings from.

Nearby Stations

Gauges connected to this river, and others nearby. A distance “by river” follows the river on the map; any other is in a straight line.

Connected downstream

Same river system, separate branch

Distances by river: OS Open Rivers. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026.

💧 Storm overflows upstream of this gauge

Storm overflows whose water reaches this gauge on the mapped river network, nearest first by distance along the river. The status is each water company's monitor: it says whether an overflow is discharging, not how much or what it contains.

12 storm overflows are traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 7.4 km away along the river. 0 report discharging now, 12 report not discharging.

💧
Northumbrian Water · into River Skerne · 7.4 km upstream along the river
11 spills · 41 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Rushyford Beck, Tributary Of · 8.6 km upstream along the river
24 spills · 153 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Rushyford Beck · 9.2 km upstream along the river
11 spills · 113 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Mainsforth Stell (Skerne) · 11.9 km upstream along the river
7 spills · 54 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Mainsforth Stell · 12.3 km upstream along the river
16 spills · 32 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Trib Of River Skerne · 12.8 km upstream along the river
16 spills · 66 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Trib Of River Skerne · 12.8 km upstream along the river
13 spills · 119 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Trib Of The Carrs Rvr Skerne · 12.9 km upstream along the river
29 spills · 32 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

4 more further upstream, up to 26.4 km away along the river.

Nearby, connection not known

Within 6 km in a straight line, but the river map cannot say whether their water passes this gauge.

💧
Northumbrian Water · into Demons Beck · 990 m away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
11 spills · 138 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Demons Beck · 1.0 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
9 spills · 87 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Skerne, A Ditch To · 4.4 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
32 spills · 289 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Dene Beck (Skerne Catchment) · 4.4 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
2 spills · 1 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Trib Of Woodham Burn · 4.9 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
9 spills · 14 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Red House Beck, Tributary Of · 5.1 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
23 spills · 72 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Rushyford Beck Tributary · 5.3 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
0 spills · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now
💧
Northumbrian Water · into Unnamed Trib Of Skerne · 5.6 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
21 spills · 39 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

3 more within 6 km whose connection is not known.

4 other overflows within 6 km are downstream of this gauge or on another branch of the river network, so they are not listed.

These are the water companies' monitor statuses; a spill does not by itself explain a change in the gauge level. River connections and distances are traced on OS Open Rivers (edition 2026-04), which leaves out many small channels. Explore the sewage map →

Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026.

Rainfall & Weather

Loading rainfall and weather data...

How often this river runs high

In a typical year this gauge reaches its typical high of 1.40 m on about 1 day. This year so far: 0 days.

2026 0 days so far
2025 1 day
2024 1 day
2023 1 day
2022 1 day
2021 2 days
2020 0 days
2019 0 days
2018 0 days
2017 0 days

Counted from each day's highest reading. Days with missing or implausible readings are left out.

Flood history near this gauge

Official Environment Agency warnings issued since 2012 for the 5 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 1.3 km away).

2flood warnings 22flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 27 Nov 2012 — River Skerne at Aycliffe village

Year by year
YearWarningsAlerts
2025 0 1
2024 0 1
2023 0 5
2021 0 4
2020 0 1
2018 0 1
2017 0 1
2016 0 2
2015 0 3
2012 2 3

Warnings apply to a whole flood area, not necessarily this exact spot. Years before 2006 aren't covered by the EA's historic record. See also the Aycliffe Village flood history.

Flood areas linked to this gauge

Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. These are the 5 areas linked to this gauge, nearest first.

Catchment Character

🌊 Fairly flashy Responds fairly quickly to rain, with moderate baseflow between events.

Your catchment is all the land that drains rainfall into the river above this gauge. Its character — how steep, wet, wooded, urban or chalky that land is — decides how fast rain here turns into a rising river. A steep, bare or clay catchment is “flashy” (rises and falls quickly, floods easily); a flat, chalk or well-wooded one is slow and steady. The tiles below put numbers to that; the flow-duration curve reads left-to-right from the river’s typical high flows (Q5) down to its low flows (Q95) — a steep curve means a flashy river.

The physical character of the land that drains to this gauge, and how it shapes its flood response — from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH).

Baseflow Index
0.44
mixed response
Avg Annual Rainfall
722 mm/yr
1991–2020 · +4% since 1941–70
Urban Extent
4.9%
partly urbanised
Median Annual Flood
14.49 m³/s
QMED — typical yearly peak flow
Highest Daily Mean Flow
23.30 m³/s
28 Dec 1978 · daily mean, not the instantaneous peak
Flow-Duration Curve
mean 0.9093.200.4070.1035% (high)% of days exceeded95% (low)
Daily flow (m³/s) exceeded each % of the time — a steep curve is flashy, a flat one is steady. Q5 high · Q50 median · Q95 low.
Land Cover (2023)
Woodland 5%Grassland 36%Arable 47%Urban 10%Other 1%
Arable 60% → 47% since 1990

Flow affected by: effluent returns.

Photos

Gauging-station photographs from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH).

Photos © NRFA / UKCEH & the measuring authority — shown at web resolution. Full gallery on the NRFA ↗

About this gauge

Velocity area station with informal low-flow control. Pre 2012 flow regime was influenced by net export of water from Hurworth Burn Reservoir.

More detail

The catchment

Relatively dry catchment mainly on high permeability Magnesian Limestone; almost all the catchment is overlain by superficial deposits, mainly boulder clay. Moorland headwaters; mixed agricultural land use and significant floodplain drained fen peak (carrs) where overbank flood storage may attenuate extreme flood peaks. Just over a tenth of the catchment is built-up. No known catchment changes, other than decommissioning of reservoirs.

The station

Velocity area station. Cableway. No wing walls. Straight approach. All flows contained in channel. An informal low-flow control (steel trench sheeting with reinforced concrete capping) with 1:20 cross-slope and 6m wide, was built in July-August 1978 to overcome weed growth problems. Prior to this, summer low flows could be over estimated by 100%.

How it measures flow

Two peak flow ratings applied across period of record, the most recent is valid from September 1978. Rating by fit to current meter gaugings before and after low-flow control. Very well gauged at high flows - up to maximum recorded.

Flow regime

Hurworth Burn reservoir covers 13.4km2 of the catchment. In the past, there was a small export of water from two headwater reservoirs (servicing Hartlepool) which used to affect low flows. These reservoirs are no longer in use, having been sold in 2012. Minewater additions affect parts of the early record. Up to half of dry-weather flow consists of effluents, mainly sewage.

The flow record

Pre-1978 flows influenced by weed growth; weed growth continues to be problematic. Full period of record peak flow data reviewed and released in September 2022 (WINFAP Files v11).

Descriptions from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH). NRFA station record ↗

Gauge Details

How this gauging station is built and how long it has measured (NRFA / UKCEH).

Gauge type
Velocity–area
Operating since
1972
Station datum
67.5 mAOD
Flow record
1972–2024 · 52 yrs · 100% complete
Peak-flow record
since 1972
Hydrometric area
25
Measured by
Environment Agency

Frequently asked questions

Is the River Skerne at Preston-Le-Skerne flooding today?

The current level is 0.16m, which is within the typical range of 0.14 to 1.40m. Flooding is unlikely at this level.

What is a normal level for the River Skerne at Preston-Le-Skerne?

The typical range at this station is 0.14m to 1.40m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 1.40m are higher than usually seen and may indicate a flood risk.

How often is this river level data updated?

Readings are supplied by the Environment Agency gauge. FloodRadar checks for updates roughly every 15 minutes; the timestamp above shows how recent the latest available reading is.

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📮 Flood risk by postcode near this gauge

Postcodes within 5 km with properties in the Environment Agency’s rivers-and-sea flood-risk bands:

Check any UK postcode’s flood risk →

🏠 Buying or renting around here? Get the Property Flood-Risk Report for any English postcode — official risk band, recorded floods, warning history, river behaviour and nearby storm overflows. £19 one-off. Learn more →